Kingdom Hearts III: The Hidden Light
by heroes1202
Summary: A "remake" of my old KH III, now following the events of "KH:DDD". After training in secret for a year, Sora is ready to rejoin his friends and face Xehanort's revived Organization. Features guest star "Tales of Graces" characters and few "DDD" spoilers.
1. Ch 1: A Year's Training

_The Keyblade...a truly marvelous weapon that connects hearts of light to one another and banishes the forces of darkness that would dare to hinder that peace. It has been passed down through many generations of warriors, each bringing good fortune or sometimes disaster to their home world. This is the story of one such individual, a youth from Destiny Islands...known as Sora to his friends and loved ones._

_Since receiving the Keyblade, Sora's powers have grown stronger with each step he has taken. He's grown into his own power, wielding his Keyblade to protect those in danger and for the safety of his friends, even willing to throw his life away to protect them. It is for those reasons that Sora fights, keeping the Realm of Light safe from the forces of darkness. But as of late, Sora's heart appears troubled._

_After a meeting with Yen Sid alongside his childhood friend Riku, Sora has discovered that he may not have the power within him yet to combat the growing threat of the orchestrator behind all that has happened, the evil Master Xehanort. This has troubled Sora, in secret, so much that he seeks more training by himself, making sure he is ready to face the dark threat when it arrives. And now, after a year of training in a "secret location", the time is about to come where Sora must rejoin his friends and face Xehanort head on for the final time..._

**_Kingdom Hearts III: The Hidden Light_**

**_Chapter 1: A Year's Training_**

A year has passed and we come upon a peaceful little town situated far from the other worlds, where people seem to be living in peace without any knowledge of the dangers that exist outside them or the threat of the Heartless. It is here that Sora has been training with new friends that agree to help him with his battle ahead by providing whatever assistance they could to the growing Keyblader. We arrive on the final day of Sora's training, just before he plans to return to Destiny Islands.

**_: Land of Graces :_**

_~ Welcome to the land of Lhant ~_

In a green lush field outside the city of Lhant, we find the young Keyblader standing alongside two people of the world, two of his new friends that have helped him train. Sora is now seen wearing a brand new set of clothes, appearing the same as his previous but with different changes. His jacket was half black and yellow, sporting a pair of white fingerless gloves with black leather bands across the width of his hands. He also wore yellow straps under his jacket hood, decorated by several black crowns on them and his shoulders. The belt around his waist was colored in different strands of black and white.

"Well, today's my last day here before I head back home. It was really great of you guys to help train me this past year. Its been a big help." Sora said. His two friends looked on with smiles on their faces. One of the two was a boy with curvy but spiky dark red hair, wearing a white long sleeved jacket with yellow buckles on the sleeves, a light blue undershirt and white dress pants. The other was a young girl with long flowing violet colored hair, wearing a sleeveless white top and long white gloves. Their names were Asbel and Sophie Lhant.

"Its been great having you around in Lhant too Sora. It's...just a shame that you'll be leaving after today." Asbel said. Sophie nodded, feeling as if the year went by too fast. Sora chuckled.

"Heh. You know the old saying Sophie. Time flies when you're having fun. And I've had a lot. So...if I could ask this, on my last day of training, I'd like to pick my sparring partner this time. Is that okay?" Sora asked. Asbel nodded, saying he could call the others if he wanted to spar with them. But Sora shook his head.

"Actually, I wanted my final sparring partner to be you Asbel. If I'm going to be facing the likes of Xehanort and his other goons, I'd prefer sparring against someone who's skilled with a sword since I'm sure that's what I'll be facing a lot of." Sora said. Sophie glanced at Asbel, asking if that would be all right. Asbel gave a light nod, commenting that it would be an honor for him to be Sora's final training partner.

"Okay then. Whenever you're ready then...Asbel." Sora said, summoning forth his Keyblade in hand. Asbel nodded as Sophie stood back, facing Asbel as he drew his sword from its sheath.

"Its time Sora. Time for your last training exercise before your big confrontation! Give me all you got! As a ex-knight of the kingdom of Barona and new lord of Lhant, I will NOT hold anything back! Come at me as you would an enemy!" Asbel shouted. Sora and Asbel both gave battle yells before charging at each other, weapons clashing once in range. The two swung their swords with fierce and agile attacks, hoping to counter the other. When he sensed Asbel getting past his guard, Sora leaped back and sprung back towards him.

"Take THIS!" Sora shouted, coming in with a side swing at Asbel. But he was intercepted as Asbel shielded with his arm embracing the hit. He then shoved Sora's Keyblade back before starting to go offensive. Sophie watched as the two swordsmen were ablaze with each other.

"This is...amazing. Watching the two of them fight, it almost feels like I'm watching two master swordsmen at war with one another. Heh. And I can tell that not only has Sora gotten better, but so has Asbel." Sophie thought. Asbel and Sora were soon in a stalemate, locked with swords pressing against each other.

"Heh! Y-You sure aren't making this easy for me! I can't tell if we're even sparring anymore!" Sora chuckled. Asbel grew a smirk on his face.

"Funny. I was going to say the same thing. This is the most fun I've had sparring since you first came here. It'll be a shame once you're gone." Asbel said. Sora smirked and told him to watch out because he was about to turn the tides. But just then, a voice called out to both Sora and Asbel.

"Asbel! S-Sora!" the voice cried. The boys looked back to see a girl with light pink hair, dressed in mostly white and ruby red frilled clothing, was rushing their way. Her name was Cheria Barnes.

"Cheria?" Sophie asked. The boys stopped their match and turned to Cheria, stopping to catch her breath.

"C-Cheria? What's the matter? Are you okay?" Asbel asked. Cheria looked to Asbel, grabbing onto his hand before taking a hold of Sora.

"I-Its terrible! There are these...black things everywhere! They're terrorizing everyone in Lhant! Please! You two have to come back! Now!" Cheria shouted. Sophie gasped, looking to Asbel who looked at Sora. The boys both quietly nodded.

"Okay Cheria. We're coming. Lead the way." Sora said. Cheria nodded and started leading the three of them back towards town. Meanwhile, from the shadow of a nearby tree, a figure in a black hooded cloak was observing the three of them and watched as they ran out of sight.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~_**

Sora and his friends rushed back to Lhant as quickly as possible. When they arrived, they were in shock to see the city swarmed by groups of strange black skinned creatures, chasing its citizens all over the place. Sora recognized them as only one thing, the Heartless.

"What are these things?" Asbel asked, gripping his sword. Sora groaned.

"They're Heartless! Great. I guess Xehanort's finally making his move. Don't tell me he found out where I was." Sora thought, taking hold of his Keyblade. Suddenly, a group of Shadow Heartless spotted Sora with his Keyblade and sprung towards him. But quick as a flash, Sora eradicated them with a single swing.

"Sora? Are these what you were training for? Are these...Heartless?" Sophie asked. Sora nodded.

"You guys better be careful. If we don't clear them out, they'll start stealing hearts from everyone. And if you have your heart taken by them, then YOU'LL become a Heartless too." Sora said. Cheria gasped as Asbel glared at the Heartless.

"I'm not about to let these things hurt the people of this city. Come on Sora! Let's get to work!" Asbel shouted. Sora nodded and the two rushed into the fray, quickly catching the attention of nearby Heartless. Cheria looked to Sophie.

"Come on Sophie! We'd better get started rounding up people and getting them out of the city. We can't let the boys handle this themselves." Cheria said. Sophie nodded, joining her in hurrying through town. Sora and Asbel faced off against a large swarm of Shadow Heartless. The monsters came at them with no end, hoping to overswarm the two swordsmen. But they proved of little use as they were each cut down easily.

"Man! There's a lot of them! Where are they all coming from?" Asbel shouted, slashing down two. Sora threw his Keyblade like a boomerang, slicing down a horde of them before it came back.

"These things are pure darkness! They'll keep coming until they decide to quit! Just stay sharp!" Sora shouted. Suddenly, they both saw a blaze of fire swish by them, cutting down a few Heartless. Asbel gasped, but Sora recognized the flame.

"Hmm. I was wondering when I'd see him again." Sora thought. He looked nearby and saw, standing from a rooftop nearby, a young man with spiky red hair and dressed in a black hooded cloak. He carried a flame styled Keyblade in his hand. He smirked at the sight of Sora.

"Yo! Sora! I was wondering when I'd find you! Yeesh! You sure picked a pretty distant place to hide!" he shouted. Sora smirked.

"Lea! Am I glad to see you! Can ya lend a hand down here?" Sora asked. Lea smirked, happy to oblidge. He leaped down and began slashing at approaching Heartless before Sora and Asbel continued with their attack. The Heartless' number was soon extinguishing faster than they could attack.

"Yes! I think its working!" Asbel shouted, watching the city becoming Heartless free. But suddenly, there was a large explosion that rattled Lhant, throwing Asbel to the ground. A Heartless tried to attack, but Sora cut it down.

"Whoa! What was THAT? It felt like an earthquake!" Asbel shouted. Sora looked back and saw a large smoke cloud rising from behind Lhant's large windmills.

"Uhhh...Asbel? Was there anything IMPORTANT over there?" Sora asked, directing his attention towards the smoke. Asbel saw the rising smoke cloud and gasped.

"Oh no. That's...That's where my father's grave is!" Asbel shouted "Don't tell me the Heartless are attacking THERE too!" Lea gasped, not liking the sight of the smoke.

"Come on! We'd better get over there!" Sora shouted. He asked Lea if he could clear out the Heartless left staggering here in town, to which he gave a nod.

"You two better hurry!" Lea shouted. Sora and Asbel nodded, making a break towards the graveyard while being seen by Cheria and Sophie. Cheria wondered where Asbel was racing towards until she saw the smoke rising as well. Sophie caught glimpse shortly after and gasped too, beginning to chase after Asbel and Sora.

"S-Sophie! Hold on!" Cheria called. But Sophie didn't wait, fearing something bad was happening.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~_**

The three raced straight for the grave of Asbel's father, arriving on the scene to find the source of the giant smoke cloud. Floating before them was a large hourglass like creature with giant bat wings and the Heartless logo on its upper body. A pair of glowing yellow eyes glared at Sora and friends as black sand was seen within the hourglass.

"Another Heartless? And this one looks bigger than the rest!" Asbel shouted. Suddenly, Sora saw someone standing next to the gravestone. It was a figure in a black cloak, the same that watched them from earlier.

"H-Hey you! Are you the one responsible for all this? Did you summon the Heartless here?" Sora shouted. The cloaked figure glanced at him before pulling his hood down. Sora watched and gasped at the sight of whose face was beneath the hood. It was a young teenage man with light tan skin, long silver hair and glowing yellow eyes. Sora groaned, recognizing him as the youth equivalent of Master Xehanort.

"So...we meet again Sora." he said. Sora groaned, summoning his Keyblade into his hands. The younger Xehanort turned towards Sora, extending his hand in a calm fashion. But Sora knew what the hand gesture meant.

"Not a chance! I'll NEVER be one of Xehanort's puppets! Never!" Sora shouted "I don't know how you or Xehanort found me, but I WON'T let you terrorize the people of this world with Heartless! They had nothing to do with this!" Xehanort huffed and withdrew his hand.

"Very well then. Then, for my master, I shall claim your heart and your body by force. Now go...Time Keeper." he said. The strange hourglass creature gave a loud shriek and summoned miniature versions of itself around it like a chain. Sora and Asbel groaned, preparing to do battle. Sophie watched from the nearby staircase, worried to see Asbel facing off against a giant enemy.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	2. Ch 2: The Glorious Reunion

**_Kingdom Hearts III: The Hidden Light_**

**_Chapter 2: The Glorious Reunion_**

Sora and Asbel drew their swords as they came charging at Time Keeper, the Heartless summoned to attack Lhant by Young Xehanort. The two lunged at the Heartless with swords drawn back. But the miniature versions around it began spinning at a high speed, repelling their attack before they began firing red blasts from their bodies. The boys leaped back to avoid.

"Dah! How are we supposed to make contact? Those little things are acting like a shield!" Asbel thought. The boys came on the charge again as Time Keeper spun its barrier again, shielding it from their attack. In the process of trying to grind through, Asbel's sword was knocked out of his hand and a blast from up close sent him flying back. Sophie gasped.

"Asbel!" Sophie cried, watching Asbel hit the ground. Sora groaned and lunged back, firing a stream of fireballs from his Keyblade tip. They slipped past and hit Time Keeper's glass body.

"Ha! Got you!" Sora shouted. The Heartless gave a shriek before firing a barrage of red blasts at Sora, blasting him to the ground.

"S-Sora! Are you okay?" Asbel asked. Sora quickly got back up and turned to Asbel, asking him to try and keep the Heartless distracted. His friend gave a nod and charged again with Sora following from behind. Xehanort watched as Asbel kept the Heartless' shield at bay while Sora would come from nowhere and attack with bursts of magic, catching the Heartless off guard.

"All right! Now try some THUNDER!" Sora called, shooting a bolt of lightning down at it. Though Time Keeper veered away to avoid, it shattered one of the miniature versions forming its shield. Once one was destroyed, the others exploded in the chain before leaving Time Keeper defenseless.

"Yes! Now Sora!" Asbel called. The two began unleashing combo slashes at the Heartless, leaving it unable to shield or counter with each pounding hit. Sora's final strike made a crack in the upper half of the hourglass.

"Yeah! We got it to crack!" Sora shouted. Asbel smirked, seeing the Heartless shrieking loudly. It growled before the sand inside surged out from the top of its body. Asbel and Sora gasped as it was bended towards them, slamming them to the ground. Sophie gasped.

"Asbel! Sora!" Sophie cried. The Heartless continued to loop the sand around, lashing out at the two of them with each strike. The sand then rushed straight up into the sky before turning downward and rushed at them.

"Oh boy!" Asbel thought. Xehanort watched as, before the sand crashed down on Sora and Asbel, Sophie leaped into the fray and shielded them from the sand with her arms. A pair of large gauntlets appeared on Sophie's arms, forcing the sand to disperse upon hitting them.

"S-Sophie!" Asbel shouted. Sophie groaned and swung her arms out, dispersing the sand stream and surprising the Heartless. She then made a massive lunge towards it and delivered a power packed punch to the center of the body. Her impact forced the Heartless to split in two, letting out one final shriek before it shattered like glass and a heart escaped from its body. Xehanort groaned, looking at Sora standing with Sophie and Asbel.

"Are you two okay?" Sophie asked. Asbel groaned and shook the sand from his body. Sora nodded, thanking Sophie for the save. The three of them turned towards Young Xehanort with weapons drawn.

"Ha! You don't have a Heartless puppet anymore! What are you gonna do now?" Sora asked. But without saying another word, Xehanort opened a corridor of darkness and vanished. Asbel sighed, looking between his friends.

"Too bad he didn't stick around for round two. Heh. The three of us probably could've taken him no problem." Asbel said. Sora nodded before Lea made an appearance from the stairway, carrying his Keyblade over his shoulder.

"Not too bad Sora. I heard the fighting all the way from town. You guys took down the Heartless boss. All of the others are leaving the town." Lea said. Sora sighed, glad to hear that. Sophie and Asbel gave a nod as well before Lea approached Sora.

"By the way, I forgot to ask earlier. What are you doing here?" Sora asked. Lea grinned and patted Sora's shoulder.

"Well, why don't you let the OTHERS answer that question for you?" Lea asked. Sora lightly gasped as Asbel and Sophie looked to one another in confusion. Lea smirked and tilted his head towards town.

"Come on. I'll take ya to them." Lea said. As Lea started off, Sora began following close behind before joined by Sophie and Asbel.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~_**

Sora and friends followed Lea to the outskirts of Lhant, stopping at the east exit. Asbel and Sophie remained curious as Sora looked around the area, hoping to see something. Without a word, Lea stopped and looked back at the group.

"There we are. Recognize this hunk of hardware Sora?" Lea asked, stepping aside to reveal a large light orange like space craft floating gently above the ground outside the gate. Sora gasped at the sight of it.

"The Gummi Ship!" Sora laughed. Lea smirked, saying that's how he got to Lhant from Yen Sid's tower. Sophie and Asbel looked on at the Gummi Ship in awe.

"Wow. This is amazing. So...is this how you came to Lhant Sora?" Asbel asked. Sora nodded, telling his friends he would explain more once he met up with his friends. Just then, they heard the footsteps of someone approaching from behind. Sora and the others looked back to see a young teenage boy with silver hair and blue eyes, wearing a black sleeveless vest zipped up to the top and light blue jeans. Around his waist was a small gray like pendant. He looked at Sora and grinned.

"Hmph. We finally found you...Sora." he said. Sora chuckled, recognizing the face as his old friend Riku. The two friends approached one another and high fived, looking on at the other with a smile on their face.

"Hey Riku. Hope you haven't been too lonely without me." Sora said. Riku smirked, saying Destiny Islands was not the same without him around. Sora then looked around, trying to find someone else at Riku's side. His friend soon took notice.

"Let me guess. You looking for HER?" Riku asked, directing Sora's attention to further back. He looked and saw Cheria speaking with a young teenage girl with shoulder length dark red hair. She wore a light pink short sleeved jacket over a black undershirt with a long dark pink zipper edged skirt around her legs. She looked back at Sora and gasped.

"S-Sora?" she asked. Sora lightly gasped before growing a smile himself.

"Hi there...Kairi." Sora said. Suddenly, Kairi started dashing towards Sora and the two met in a tight hug, watched with a smile by Asbel, Sophie, Lea, Riku and Cheria. The others gathered close as the two friends reunited. Sora soon noticed Kairi shedding small tears under her eyes, lightly wiping them with his thumb.

"Come on Kairi. I didn't think you missed me that much. Didn't Yen Sid tell you what happened?" Sora said. Kairi lightly sniffled before looking up at Sora.

"Yes. He told me you went by yourself to train. But, without you there when I was being trained, I was really scared." Kairi said. Sora seemed a bit surprised as he looked at Riku and Lea, both giving a nod themselves. Sora turned back to Kairi, embracing her lightly in his arms.

"I'm sorry you were alone then." Sora whispered. Cheria smiled, looking on at the sight of Sora and Kairi's embracing hug. She and Asbel looked at one another, slightly blushing.

"Reminds you of the past, doesn't it?" Cheria asked. Asbel nodded.

"They remind me a lot of the two of you." Sophie chuckled, hinting at Asbel and Cheria. After the friendly reunion, Sora decided to introduce his new friends of Lhant to his old friends. Each side took a liking to the other and quickly became friends themselves. We find the group later in Lhant Manor's study.

"Its really great to see all of you guys. But...I can tell that you guys showing up just as Heartless begin appearing doesn't mean you came for a "friendly visit"." Sora said. Riku sighed.

"Yep. You're right on the mark. It looks like Xehanort and his new Organization are making their move. Heartless activity has already began to rise in other worlds." Lea explained. Riku also added that Yen Sid had been hard at work with Mickey to find and locate a "lost light" amongst all the chaos.

"We've been helping out with the Heartless invasions. Its been just crazy as of late. So that's why Riku, Lea and I all agreed that now was the time we needed you back with us." Kairi said. Asbel glanced at Sora nodding, agreeing to rejoin his friends.

"All right then. Glad to hear." Riku said. Kairi smiled, as did Lea.

"Looks like our "happy little family" is together again." Lea said. Sora smirked, asking when they counted Lea as apart of their "happy family". Lea scoffed and asked if he didn't count even after he rescued him from Xehanort while he was passed out cold. Those words caused Sora to lightly freeze, remembering the events of his Mark of Mastery exam after Xehanort captured him. Kairi and Asbel took notice.

"Sora? Is everything all right?" Kairi asked. Sora remained silent until he shook his head, snapping free from his mute trance.

"Uhhh...y-yeah. Sorry about that. I was just remembering something." Sora said. The group started to leave the manor, planning to return to the Mysterious Tower with Sora. But just as they were leaving, Sora was stopped by Riku, being the only two left in the study.

"Tell me Sora. You think you'd be ready for another Mark of Mastery exam? Surely a year of secret training would've gotten you prepared for it." Riku asked. Sora silently looked away before facing Riku again with a nod.

"Yeah. I think I'm ready this time. Last time, I was just overconfident and let my stupidity blind me. But I realized that this isn't some "game" for the rest of the worlds. We have to stop Xehanort before his plans succeed. That's what my training was meant for after all." Sora said "Sorry for just deserting you guys." Riku shook his head.

"Its all right. I could tell you weren't very happy about failing the test, though you tried to pass with a smiling face." Riku said. He then put his hand on Sora's shoulder, glad to see his friend back with him. The two boys grinned and shook hands.

"Come on. Let's go rejoin the others. I think its time Yen Sid gave me that make-up test." Sora said. Riku nodded and joined Sora in exiting the manor.

**__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	3. Ch 3: The Make Up Test Begins

**_Kingdom Hearts III: The Hidden Light_**

**_Chapter 3: The Make-Up Test Begins_**

With Sora rejoining his friends, the Gummi Ship used by the others to travel to Lhant was seen exiting from the world's atmosphere. From the outside, Lhant appeared as a beautiful blue planet with a large metal ring surrounding it. Also aboard the ship with Sora and the others was Asbel, having asked to join Sora on his journey. Watching from the ship window, Sora walked over to Asbel.

"You sure about this Asbel? I mean...you're leaving your home behind you." Sora asked. Asbel looked to Sora and nodded.

"I'm sure Sora. After what I saw you had to face, the Heartless that attacked Lhant, I can't let you face that alone. Not after the fact that we've been friends for a year now. I won't let you have to face it alone. That's why I wanted to accompany you." Asbel said. Sora lightly nodded.

"All right. As long as you're sure Asbel. We can always bring you back if you miss Lhant." Sora said. He then left Asbel alone to rejoin his friends. As the ship traversed through space, Sora sat down with Kairi.

"So Kairi? Did you learn any new tricks since training with Yen Sid?" Sora asked. Kairi nodded, saying she learned a lot about becoming a Keyblade warrior. She also mentioned how she believed she now knows how Sora and Riku feel when they wield their weapon. Kairi quietly glanced at Sora.

"Sora? I...I want to say that with everything...I found out about what's going on now, like your big coming battle against Xehanort, I...I won't let you face it alone. I refuse to watch you suffer just to protect me. I...I want to fight with you. Please...Sora?" Kairi asked. Sora lightly gasped, surprised to hear his childhood friend asking such a great request.

"Kairi..." Sora muttered. He looked right in her eyes, seeing them shaking slightly as she awaited Sora's response. He thought quietly for a moment before facing her again.

"Okay. If you know what you're getting yourself into, then I say...let's fight together. For everyone back home, we MUST defeat Xehanort." Sora said. Kairi smiled, lightly sighing with relief. Just then, Sora felt Lea put his hand on his shoulder.

"So...your pal Riku tells me ya think you have a shot at your "make-up exam". Are ya ready to take it?" Lea asked. Sora nodded.

"Yep. I'm more ready now than I was before. I'll ace it for sure." Sora said, firmly gripping his hand. Lea smirked.

"That's good. Because that's where we're taking ya. This is a straight ride to Yen Sid's tower. I hear your other pals are there waiting for ya too." Lea said. Sora wondered who Lea meant by "other pals", but soon remembered the faces of Donald, Goofy and King Mickey. A smile came to his face.

"Yeah. I wonder if they missed me." Sora thought. The ship continues quietly through the space inbetween, coming to rest outside Yen Sid's tower.

**_: The Mysterious Tower :_**

**_~ Yen Sid's Lone Sanctuary ~_**

Sora was brought before Yen Sid, deep within the highest chamber of the tower. The group was approaching the door leading into his chamber when Sora started looking around curiously.

"Huh? Where's Donald or Goofy? I haven't seen King Mickey either." Sora asked. Lea glaced around and shrugged, figuring they must've been out. Once inside, Sora stood before Yen Sid, seated at his desk. The sound of the door opening alerted him.

"Master Yen Sid...?" Sora asked. The master quietly looked on at Sora before lightly stroking his beard.

"Greetings young Sora. It appears you have been hard at work this year, training yourself in secret ever since you took your Mark of Mastery exam alongside your friend Riku. Have you come to show the results of your training?" Yen Sid asked. Sora nodded.

"Yes sir. Please, I want to take another Mark of Mastery exam. I realize now that I failed before because I was too overconfident and allowed myself to fall prey to Xehanort's tricks. But I assure you that I've changed. I'm ready to face such darkness again." Sora said. Yen Sid gazed on at Sora.

"I understand. Though I cannot give you the same test you took before, seeing as how your actions, alongside Riku's, have brought peace to the Realm of Sleep...I do know of one trial you can partake that will judge whether you are ready or not to face Master Xehanort full on." Yen Sid said. Sora asked what that was, observing as Yen Sid waved his hand. In front of Sora and his friends, a projection appeared of a black and white furred rabbit, wearing mostly blue clothing and carrying a Keyblade on his back.

"This is Oswald the Rabbit, a former apprentice of mine before I found the King. A long time ago, he passed his Mark of Mastery exam and had become a Keyblade Master. I believed that he would be a vital warrior to have on our side to face Xehanort. However, as of late, I have been unable to contact him." Yen Sid said. Sora and the others looked on at Oswald standing non chalantly before them.

"Though we have not been able to speak, I believe I have tracked down Oswald's last whereabouts, trapped in a world soon to fall to darkness. For your Mark of Mastery exam, you must seek out Master Oswald, relieve him from whatever danger he may be in and bring him back here." Yen Sid explained. Oswald's projection vanished from sight afterwards.

"No problem. I'll find Oswald and make sure we both come back." Sora said. He then asked whether any of his friends could assist him. Yen Sid shook his head.

"Have you forgotten Sora? This is a test of your own single capabilities. If you wish to pass, you must accomplish this journey alone." Yen Sid said. Kairi lightly gasped, looking at Sora standing quietly in front of her. Hearing those words, Sora nodded.

"Okay. I understand. Where can I find Oswald?" Sora asked. Yen Sid waved his hand again and a large spell book appeared before him. It came to life on its own as the pages flipped quickly before him.

"This spell I am about to use will send you straight to the last location in which Oswald was believed to have been seen. When you find him, send out a trail of light from your Keyblade and I shall pull you both back." Yen Sid said. Sora nodded, looking at the book which stopped on a page showing Oswald in a decaying mountain like area. A blinding light was seen coming from the book as Sora closed his eyes, feeling himself transported by the light.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~_**

The light faded as we find Sora sitting alone in the corner of a shady cave. When his eyes opened, he looked around at the inside of the cave. There were many hieroglyph like drawings of King Mickey's face as well as other similar seen items.

"Huh? Where...Where am I?" Sora thought. He stood up and began walking out of the cave. Once outside, he looked up at the sky, seeing a thick heavy black smog covering a sunset color sky. The moutain side appeared to be made out of withering and decaying artifacts from various worlds, mostly resembling King Mickey.

**_: MICKEYJUNK MOUNTAIN :_**

**_~ A Wasteland of the Past ~_**

Sora walked alongside a narrow walkway, observing all the strange objects around him.

"Wow. This place looks like a giant trash dump. What IS all this stuff? And why does it look like the king?" Sora asked. As he continued along, his step was heard causing parts of rubble below him to crumble off and fall down the edge.

"Wh-Whoa!" Sora gasped, watching the small rubble fall below. He looked down to see the pitch black darkness below.

"Okay...that was a little too close. I guess Master Yen Sid was right when he said that this world is close to falling to the darkness. It looks like anything is gonna cause this place to fall apart." Sora said. He continued walking alone, keeping his eyes peeled for Oswald. His walk took him all over the lower roads of the junk pile mountain. And no matter how much he looked, there was no sign of life.

"Oswald? Hey! Oswald! Are you here?" Sora shouted, his voice echoing through the canyons. He viewed around, unable to see even the faintest sign of Oswald.

"This is weird. Where is he? Maybe Master Yen Sid was wrong about this being where Oswald was last seen." Sora said "It doesn't look like anything LIVING has been here in centuries." He continued along through the junk, looking on at all the rusting Mickey items.

"What is WITH this place? Everywhere I look, I keep seeing the king." Sora said. Just then, he heard the sound of a mostrous bellowing roar echoing throughout the mountain. It rattled Sora's balance, almost causing him to fall over. When he tried to pinpoint the sound, he looked down the dark canyon nearby and saw something rushing up at high speed.

"WH-WHOA!" Sora exclaimed, blown onto his rear. He watched as a giant black oozing beast was seen flying out from the canyon. It had glowing green eyes and a drooling mouth, gazing at Sora with a murderous glare. It gave another roar, spitting drips of black ink at him.

"Wh-What in the world? Is this...Is this thing a Heartless?" Sora asked, drawing forth his Keyblade. Just then, he heard someone yelling for help as loud as it could. He looked around feverishly before seeing something trapped within the creature's left claw. It appeared to be Oswald, struggling to break free of the oozing beast.

"Is that...? Master Oswald!" Sora shouted. Oswald looked down at Sora and gasped.

"Wha? ANOTHER Keyblader? When did...? Geeh! RUN KID!" Oswald exclaimed, seeing the monster eyeing him. Sora gasped as the creature swung its other claw at him. But Sora quickly jumped aside, avoiding its crushing fist, before swinging his Keyblade at it. Though it ducked back, the Keyblade pierced through its wrist and the ooze hand shattered, freeing Oswald. The beast roared in pain.

"Oswald!" Sora shouted, hurrying to him to make a diving catch. But unknown to him, the black creature suddenly sprouted a new hand and growled angrily at Sora. Oswald shook the black ink off him.

"Phew! Thanks a bunch kid! I...! GAH! Incoming! Look out!" Oswald shouted. Sora looked back up and saw giant balls of green ooze being fired from the monster's mouth. He grabbed Oswald and jumped back, keeping his Keyblade in hand before putting Oswald down. The creature glared at both of them. Oswald quickly summoned his Keyblade, a paintbrush styled blade with a mixture of a paintbrush tip and the shape of his head as the teeth.

"You're Master Oswald, right? Long story short, my name's Sora. I've been sent here by Master Yen Sid as apart of my Mark of Mastery Exam. I'm here to rescue you and bring you back to Yen Sid!" Sora explained. Oswald lightly groaned, turning his eyes back to the beast.

"Fine! The name's Oswald, Oswald the LUCKY Rabbit! But we'll talk later! Right now, we gotta stay alive! Because the Blot is coming!" Oswald shouted. The giant beast growled before gripping the sides of the moutanin with its claws and letting out a bellowing roar.

**__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	4. Ch 4: Escape from Mickeyjunk

**_Kingdom Hearts III: The Hidden Light_**

**_Chapter 4: Escape from Mickeyjunk_**

Sora and Oswald joined hands to fight the Blot, charging straight for the beast as it drew an arm back. It threw a punch that missed them and smashed into the ground. The two focused their assault on the arm, swinging combo attacks at its wrist.

"Master Oswald! What...What is this thing?" Sora called as the Blot drew its arm back. It roared again, splattering black oozes of paint on the mountainside.

"It's called the Phantom Blot! It lives in this wasteland, devouring the light of anyone who trespasses in its territory! And it sees US as lunch!" Oswald shouted. Sora gasped as the Blot swung its claws, slashing them to the ground. But Sora quickly got back up and launched his Keyblade, striking the Blot in the head before it came back.

"Try some of this! FIRE!" Sora exclaimed, shooting fireballs from his Keyblade at it. The Blot roared and shielded itself with its arm, the exploding fireballs hardly did a scratch.

"Okay then! THUNDER!" Sora called, firing a bolt of lightning down onto the Blot from above. It pierced through its body and stunned it, making it roar loudly.

"Aha! Looks like that spell did the trick! How about some BLIZZARD?" Sora shouted, shooting snowflakes out at it. The Blot roared and tried to grab them, unknowingly freezing its right hand solid. Oswald gasped.

"Huh! No way! That oversized paint splotch is weak to magic!" Oswald thought "No WONDER! Doy! I forgot all about MY magic tricks!" Oswald quickly got up and joined Sora, bending his ears before plucking them off his head. He chucked them at the Blot's hand, shattering it on impact. As the behemoth roared, Oswald's ears returned to his head like boomerangs.

"Wh-Whoa! How did you...?" Sora asked. Oswald chuckled.

"Its an old "toon" trick. Don't worry. I'll explain later." Oswald said. The Blot looked at its shattered hand and roared, showing signs of bubbling with rage. Sora and Oswald fired a giant blast of Blizzard at the same time, freezing most of the Blot's body, but not its head. It broke free with a large burst of darkness before clasping down on the ground they were on with its hand.

"Uh oh! Look out!" Oswald shouted. Sora gasped, watching as the Blot tore the chunk of the landscape down with a strong swipe of its claw. The crumbling ground caused Sora and Oswald to tumble off the cliff, plummeting them closer towards the dark abyss below. The Blot roared and dove down after them. But Oswald quickly acted fast and used his toon powers to pull Sora and himself in another cliffside cave, hiding out until the Blot zoomed past.

"P-Phew! That was way too close!" Oswald panted, leaning up against the cavern wall. Sora stopped to catch his breath too, exhausted from the struggle.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~_**

Back in Yen Sid's Tower, everyone remained patient for the return of Sora from Mickeyjunk Mountain. Lea leaned up against a wall as Riku sat down on the floor. Kairi seemed the most impatient, watched by Asbel.

"Oh man. I wish I knew how Sora was." Kairi muttered. Yen Sid observed the pages of a large book in front of him, the same that sent Sora to Oswald's location. She approached the wizard's side and looked at the page, seeing Sora and Oswald talking together inside the cavern.

"H-Hey. Is that...Sora?" Kairi asked. Yen Sid heard Kairi's voice and turned to her.

"It would appear that Sora is doing just fine on his own, wouldn't you agree...princess?" Yen Sid asked, fixing his gaze on her. Kairi continued to view into the book, watching as the two talked up a storm between one another.

_~ Back on Mickeyjunk Mountain ~_

"So...you've been here so long that you don't know ANYTHING about what's going on outside?" Sora asked. Oswald nodded, apparently having missed his brother Mickey becoming a Keyblader or becoming king of Disney Castle.

"Man. Ortensia's probably crying her poor eyes out right now." Oswald sighed, rubbing his head. Sora glanced at Oswald, asking who Ortensia was.

"Ortensia's my cute little girlfriend back home. I used to live in Disney Town, until my master Yen Sid sent me on this CRAZY mission to find my "potential" as a Keyblader. Now I'm stuck in here with that...that THING out there!" Oswald said, shouting towards the end. He stopped talking and slightly cowered when he heard the faint roar of the Blot. They both looked out the mouth of the cave, unable to spot the creature.

"Yen Sid sent me on a Mark of Mastery exam to find you and bring you back with me. And I bet that now we're together, we can take that Blot together." Sora said. Oswald sighed.

"Sheesh. Where do they get kids like you? Didn't ya see how powerful that behemoth was earlier? It literally TORE the cliffside we were on to pieces! There's no place safe enough to battle that thing!" Oswald shouted. Sora paused for a moment, trying to recall someplace he might've seen earlier that may be a fitting battleground. Just then, he remembed looking up earlier at the top of the mountain.

"Hmm. What if we tried luring the Blot up towards the peak of the mountain? There's bound to be more stable ground up there." Sora asked. Oswald glanced at Sora, asking if he was serious about this. Sora nodded, saying he wasn't about to leave a Keyblader stranded out here. The rabbit smirked.

"Heh. I should've guessed. As for your suggestion? Yeah. I think the ground up towards the mountain top should be sturdy enough. I was up there until the Blot caused me to fall here." Oswald said. He then directed Sora's attention to the back of the cave, casting a small Fire spell to show it was a long tunnel.

"I found these when I first came here. Apparently, someone dug out a series of tunnels inside the mountain and I think one of them should lead us to the mountain top." Oswald said. Sora nodded, suggesting they should hurry before the Blot found them. Oswald agreed, getting up alongside Sora before venturing into the tunnel ahead of them. As they walked, they used their magic skills to keep a tiny flame ignited on the tips of their Keyblades. As they ventured up through the caves, they eventually came to an outside stretch, where Heartless suddenly attacked.

"Heartless!" Sora shouted. Oswald stared curiously at the Heartless before seeing one lunge at him. He yelped and jumped onto Sora's shoulders. They mostly appeared to be Shadow and Air Soldier types. They came diving at Sora before he rolled aside, quickly making work of the creatures before Oswald jumped down to help.

"Let me guess. You guys are with that big Blot!" Sora shouted. The Heartless continued attacking until Oswald shot down the last. With them gone, he turned to Sora and asked what those were.

"They're Heartless...creatures of pure darkness. They attack other worlds to seek out hearts. If you lose yours, you'll become a Heartless." Sora said. Oswald gasped.

"R-Really? Wow. And I thought the Blot sounded nasty. But this thing's only stuck here. I can't think of what kind of terror those things can cause since they can go anywhere." Oswald said. Sora nodded, saying that's the reason he wants to become a Keyblade Master so he can stop the Heartless and Xehanort from achieving their motives.

"Huh? Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Xehanort? You know my old friend Xehanort?" Oswald asked. Sora lightly gasped.

"What? FRIEND? You're FRIENDS with that monster?" Sora asked. Oswald raised a brow, asking how Xehanort was a "monster".

"I mean...sure. When I met him while we were training to become Keybladers ourselves, the guy was relatively distant. But...a monster? No way could I believe that." Oswald said. Sora sighed, figuring they should take a break so he could explain.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~  
_**

Sora took their relative break to tell Oswald exactly what Xehanort had been up to since Oswald possibly last saw him. He spoke of how he helped create the Heartless, founded his Organization and his twisted ambitions to reach Kingdom Hearts. The words struck Oswald hard.

"Oh. S-So that's what Xehanort's become. Wow." Oswald said. Sora looked to Oswald, seeing the rabbit's ears drooping.

"Listen. I know its not easy to hear words about someone you call a friend doing bad things. But that's what Xehanort is doing now. He won't stop until he achieves his goal." Sora said "Please, Master Oswald, will you join my friends and I in stopping him?" Oswald looked over at Sora, still a bit shaken by Sora's words. But he lightly nodded.

"Yeah. I..I will. It sounds like Xehanort's lost his way. And...as a fellow Keyblader, its up to us to stop him and put him back on the right path." Oswald said. Sora smiled and offered the rabbit a handshake. Oswald smirked and shook his hand. Just then, they heard the roar of the Blot again, causing them to quickly rise back on their feets.

"Come on. We'd better keep moving towards the mountain top. We don't want that thing sprouting up just yet." Oswald said. The two looked up the path and started back on the road. They passed through more cave tunnels, running into smaller groups of Heartless as they did. But working together, Sora and Oswald easily dispatched them. They continued through the tunnels within the mountain side. In no time at all, the two were soon standing on a large gaping platform towards the top of the mountain.

"Well, here we are...I guess." Sora said. The two slowly walked out onto the large platform overlooking the majority of the mountain's cliffsides. They heard the Blot's roar once more.

"Okay. L-Let's do this. Ya ready?" Oswald asked. Sora nodded as the two stood back to back. But quickly after, they started making comical noises, sticking their tongues out.

"HEY! Slime face! You out there?" Sora yelled. Oswald laughed as he leaped onto Sora's shoulders.

"We're calling you out Blot! We DARE ya to come and fight us! No dirty tricks like before! Let's settle this here and now! That is...if you're not CHICKEN!" Oswald shouted. Suddenly, they felt the mountainside shake viciously. And in no time, the sight of the Phantom Blot appeared near the edge. It gave a blood curdling roar, spitting small bits of black ooze from its mouth.

"Looks like it came after all." Sora said. Oswald leaped to the ground as they both summoned their Keyblades.

"Let's do this Blot! Just you and us!" Oswald shouted. The Blot roared, suddenly summoning Wyvern Heartless around it. The sight of more Heartless had Oswald a bit nervous.

"Uhhhh...okay then. Looks like he called in a BIT of reinforcements." Oswald said, giving a nervous chuckle.

**__****__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**  



	5. Ch 5: Live to Pass

**_Kingdom Hearts III: The Hidden Light_**

**_Chapter 5: Live to Pass_**

Sora and Oswald stood side by side, staring down the Phantom Blot and the group of Wyvern Heartless floating nearby. As the Heartless started for Oswald, Sora charged straight at the Blot. It gave a mighty roar before swinging its claws viciously. Sora ducked and dodged before leaping straight at its head.

"Take THIS!" Sora shouted, swinging a combo attack in its face. The strikes hit dead center, causing it to flinch slightly. But as Sora landed, the Blot took a deep breath before firing out green thinner blasts at him, catching Sora offguard before he was thrown to the ground. Oswald twirled his ears like a helicopter and fired blasts of fire magic, blasting down some of the Wyverns.

"Blot! Today your reign of terror finally ends! I'm getting out of here and there isn't a thing you can do to stop me!" Oswald shouted. The Blot roared and swung its claw, striking down Oswald as Sora charged again.

"All right! Here I go! THUNDER!" Sora shouted, casting a bolt of lightning. It zapped the Blot and left it open for him to unleash a Ragnarok strike at it, sending bursts of energy straight into the face of the Blot. The rapid explosions drove it back slightly. Oswald suddenly leaped onto Sora's shoulders.

"Hey Sora! Wanna see something awesome? How about a little of THIS?" Oswald chuckled. He began lighting up, linking together with Sora, before waving his Keyblade like a baton. Suddenly, giant paint ball orbs began bouncing around the area, striking down and destroying some Heartless while bouncing off the Blot.

"Time for the finale!" Oswald laughed. He rose his blade into the air, sending them flying up above. And with a down swing, the paint orbs popped and down came rainbow rain, damaging the Blot. But as Oswald jumped off, the monster suddenly came diving over the field, smashing Sora and Oswald down before rising up to the sky above. They soon saw the Blot floating overhead.

"That thing can FLY?" Sora asked. Oswald nervously chuckled, scratching the side of his head. He looked to Sora and said he must've forgot to tell him that. The Blot laughed before bubbling black bombs formed in its palms. It launched them down with a good throw, splatting against the ground as it gave chase after Sora and Oswald.

"Whoa! Hey! Watch it up there!" Sora shouted, narrowly avoiding a bomb before one struck dead center and slammed him to the ground. The Blot roared and shot up like a rocket before coming straight back at him. But Sora got back up and gripped tightly to his Keyblade.

"All right! That is it! Come and get some Blot!" Sora shouted. As it drew close, his blade gave a brilliant shine before he came diving at the Blot head on. The giant beast was unprepared as Sora gave off a burst of combo slashes before finishing with an upper strike, sending the Blot flying backwards. He then came at the Blot with a stream of Blizzard attacks. Once hitting the Blot, they froze its limbs around the elbows and hands. With its frozen added weight, the Blot drifted too far off the cliff and started falling down towards the bottom of the cavern. Sora and Oswald rushed to see.

"Is...Is it gone? D-Did we beat it?" Sora asked. Oswald listened closely, leaning slightly over the edge of the cliff. He heard a loud thud, expecting that to be the Blot. He smirked and looked to Sora.

"Yeah! We did it!" Oswald laughed. Sora chuckled as the two high fived each other. But just as their excitement began to grow, the blood curdling roar of the Blot was heard. They slowly looked back down before the Blot's oozing black claws grabbed hold of Sora, blowing Oswald away.

"G-Gah! Sora!" Oswald bellowed. He watched as the Blot gripped Sora with both claws, surrounding his body with the black ink on its body. Sora struggled to break free, but to no avail.

"Deh! Let me go you...you slimy freak!" Sora shouted. The Blot growled softly as it brought Sora close to its face. But as the black ink began swarming over Sora, his eyes closed tightly as something from within was helping him fight back. A brilliant light started shining outward from the Blot's bubble around Sora, making it pop before a giant surge of light seemed to rush up its limbs and strike the Blot's chest. It roared and threw Sora away, leaving Oswald to watch as Sora hit the ground.

"Gah! Sora!" Oswald shouted, rushing over towards him. He looked to see Sora partially drenched by the Blot's ink. But as he looked on with worry, Sora slowly sat back up, rubbing his head from the crash.

"D'oh. My head. What...What was that?" Sora asked. Oswald gasped, surprised to see Sora all right. He smiled brightly before hugging him tightly in his arms.

"Ha ha! Sora! You're all right!" Oswald laughed. Sora looked to the small rabbit and chuckled, patting his head. But suddenly, they both heard the Blot roaring. They turned around only to be grabbed by the Blot together. It brought them close towards itself.

"Aw man! This isn't good!" Sora groaned. They both closed their eyes, bracing for the worst. But strangely, instead of feeling their bodies being crushed by its claws, they felt as if the Blot was craddling them. Sora looked up, seeing a more calm and gentle look on its face.

"H-Huh?" they both shouted. The Blot cradled them for a while before it smiled and set them back down. As Sora looked back, he saw one of the Blot's fingers pointed at him before lightly poking his nose. Oswald watched in shock.

"Wh-Wha? Uhhh...Sora? What did you DO to it?" Oswald asked. They both watched as the Blot waved and then flew off, dropping something in its tracks. When the Blot was clear out of sight, Oswald went over and picked up the strange item it left behind. He then returned back to Sora and gave it to him.

"Uhh...I think this was for you." Oswald said. Sora took the item and glanced at it, seeing it to be a strange little charm of the Blot. Once he held it for a while, the token vanished.

"Whoa. Okay. That was kind of weird. Did I...do that?" Sora thought. They quietly looked around for a while, not seeing any kind of signs of the Blot coming back or any feeling of danger anymore.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~_**

With the Blot gone, Sora decided now was the time to signal to Master Yen Sid. Oswald watched as Sora took a stance, surrounding himself with a glowing circle as a Keyhole appeared above him.

"W-Wow." Oswald muttered. Sora's Keyblade gave a shine from its tip as Sora glanced up and fired a beam of light from his key into the Keyhole. The light pierced through the Keyhole, showing as a dot of light on Yen Sid's book. The wizard smiled and waved his hand.

"Well done...Sora..." he thought. On Mickeyjunk Mountain, Sora saw the light around him shining brightly. Oswald gasped and hurried over, grabbing onto his clothes before they were both warped out of the area in a flash.

_~ Back in Yen Sid's Tower ~_

Everyone watched as the light from Yen Sid's book shot out a beam towards the chamber floor. And in a brillaint shine, Sora and Oswald were seen standing at each other's side.

"Hey! Sora's back!" Asbel laughed. His friends started to cheer as Sora and Oswald looked around the room and then at each other.

"Heh heh. I guess I'm back." Sora said, rubbing the back of his head. Oswald glanced at Yen Sid and gasped.

"M-Master Yen Sid!" he gasped. Oswald quickly bowed down, leaving Sora and the others to watch. The rabbit looked at Sora and groaned, gripping his shirt before forcing him to bow too. Yen Sid smiled and casted his hand aside. Shortly after returning, Oswald started exploring around the chamber as Sora faced Yen Sid, joined at his side by Kairi and Riku.

"Sora...for your efforts in rescuing Master Oswald and escorting him safely back to the Realm of Light, I must applaud your success. Your year's worth of training has truly paid off." Yen Sid said. Kairi lightly chuckled as she leaned against Sora's side. Riku gave a grin as well.

"So...does that mean?" Sora asked, stopped by Yen Sid nodding.

"Yes Sora. Because you not only rescued Oswald from the darkness, but also for purifying a heart that was mostly tainted by darkness and evil, I hereby award you the title of "Keyblade Master". Congratulations." Yen Sid said. Sora laughed before he was praised all around by his friends. He turned to everyone and waved, thanking them for the praise. But as he did, he soon saw three others applauding him at the chamber entrance. It was Donald, Goofy and King Mickey.

"Way to go Sora! Ya did it! Ha-yuck!" Goofy laughed. Donald gave a whistle.

"Great job Sora!" Donald laughed. Mickey approached Sora and offered him a hearty handshake, to which he gladly accepted.

"Glad to have ya back Sora. We all missed you very much." Mickey said "Now that you're a Keyblade Master as well, we've got work to do." Sora nodded, saying he was ready to help in anyway he could. Just then, Mickey could feel someone's presence behind him. He turned back to see Oswald standing with a smirk on his face.

"Huh? OSWALD? B-B-But we all thought you were a goner!" Mickey exclaimed. Oswald smirked and patted Mickey's shoulder.

"Well, not quite brother. But...oh man. Am I so happy to see you!" Oswald said, quickly moved to tears as he hugged Mickey. The mouse looked to Oswald and smiled, hugging him right back. Donald and Goofy looked on in confusion.

"Huh? Your Majesty? Who's this?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah. And why's he calling you "brother"? He's a bunny!" Donald added. Mickey looked back to them and chuckled, his arm on Oswald's shoulder.

"Awww. Welp, I'll tell ya guys later. Right now, ol' Oswald and me have a LOT of catching up to do." Mickey said. They all watched as Oswald and Mickey strolled out of the room together. Riku patted Sora on the shoulder.

"Good job Sora. I knew you could do it." Riku said. Kairi nodded, adding that she never stopped believing in him the whole time he was gone.

"Heh. You've sure got friends who look out for you kid. I'm a little envious." Lea said. Sora grinned, looking on at everyone around him.

"Well, that's because we're all a team. We're one big happy family." Sora said. Donald and Goofy shed a small grin as they looked to each other. With a little chuckle themselves, they suddenly began approaching Sora with devious looks on their faces. Sora did not see them until they leaped at him, knocking him to the floor. Everyone watched as they started tickling Sora non-stop.

"Yeah? Well THIS is for making us worry so much!" Donald squawked. Goofy laughed, continuing to tickle Sora alongside Donald. His legs flailed around, trying to fight off them.

"H-Hey! Stop it you guys! Th-That really tickles!" Sora exclaimed. The sound of ther laughter filled the air as Sora quickly sat back up, looking at both Donald and Goofy at his side. The three shared a group smile before hugging one another.

"Oh! Don't you EVER do that again! We're a team Sora!" Donald cried, looking up at Sora. Goofy chuckled, patting Sora on the head.

"That's right! We're a trio! Like the Three Musketeers, like peas in a pod, like...d'oh! Gawrsh! I dunno what else is in three!" Goofy laughed. Sora chuckled and rubbed Goofy's head.

"You guys are the best. All of you are. I couldn't imagine facing this without you guys." Sora said. Everyone shed a smile, including Yen Sid himself.

**__****__****__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	6. Ch 6: Depart for Adventure

**_Kingdom Hearts III: The Hidden Light_**

**_Chapter 6: Depart for Adventure_**

With Sora's Mark of Mastery test finished and a complete success, the youth decided to throw a small party with his friends to celebrate. All was noisy outside of Yen Sid's tower as the group was having fun and laughing it up with one another. Sora laughed as he put both arms out, one around Donald's neck and another around Goofy. Seated among them as well was Mickey and Oswald.

"Congratulations Sora! We knew ya could do it!" Goofy chuckled. Kairi and Riku looked on as Sora was having a ball with them.

"Heh. Look at him Kairi. Hard to believe, isn't it?" Riku asked. Kairi glanced at Riku, asking what was hard to believe. Riku smirked and looked to her.

"You remember when I dove into Sora's heart to save him from Xehanort? Well, while I was there, I saw...a vision of someone...telling me that the best way for Sora to save the "others" from the darkness...was for him to just be the way he is now." Riku said "Its hard to believe that a goof like him...was ever meant to save the worlds." Kairi smiled and looked again at Sora.

"Yes. It is. But...that cheerful beat of his...is what I like the most about him." Kairi thought. Suddenly, they watched as all three fell over on their backs from too much merriment.

"WAK! Hey! Easy there Sora!" Donald squawked. Sora lightly chuckled and let go of his friends before they sat back up. Lea watched the others from afar, leaning up against a wall of Yen Sid's tower with arms crossed. He seemed to be smiling himself as well.

"Man. I picked a bunch of nuts to hang out with. Then again...its better to be here than with...Isa right now." Lea said, slowly thinking back to seeing his former friend now with Xehanort's new Organization when he went to save Sora with Riku. He looked up at the sky, imagining Isa's face from childhood compared to what he became now.

"Isa? What happened to you? Is there anyway...we can have things like the old days again?" Lea thought. Just then, he was spotted by Sora, who got up and approached him. Lea didn't see him until he looked down and saw Sora extending his arm towards the others.

"Come on Lea. Why don't you come over and join the rest of us?" Sora asked. Lea chuckled and waved his hand.

"N-No thanks kid. I'm not a "hardcore party clown" like you and your friends." Lea said. But the others seemed to be trying to entice Lea over, waving their arms too.

"Why not? Come on! Its a celebration!" Asbel exclaimed "Sora passed his test!" Hearing the others crying out to him, Lea sighed.

"All right. Fine. You win." Lea said. Sora chuckled and walked over with him as they rejoined their friends.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~_**

After the party was concluded, Sora and friends were called back into the tower by Yen Sid. When the group arrived, they found Yen Sid staring out his windows behind his desk.

"You called for us master?" Mickey asked. The wizard looked back at the others as they slowly approached.

"It has begun Mickey. The worlds from the Realm of Sleep have once again returned to the light. I have just sensed Traverse Town beginning to reappear as of late." Yen Sid explained. Sora and Riku lightly gasped.

"Really? Traverse Town...is back?" Sora asked. Yen Sid nodded. Kairi looked to Sora, asking if Traverse Town was the same world she went to with Sora after the events at Hollow Bastion. Sora turned to her and nodded, saying that was during their first adventure.

"If Traverse Town has returned, I wonder if the people we met there returned as well." Riku said.

"You mean Neku and the others? Heh. Don't worry Riku. I bet they're back home where they belong." Sora said, assuring his friend with a nudge at his side. Yen Sid turned back towards the window.

"Never the less, Sora, I want you and your friends to head out for Traverse Town and examine the situation there. The town has returned some time ago, but I fear that the likes of Xehanort or Maleficent may already be at work." Yen Sid said. The friends looked at each other and nodded. Donald and Goofy gave a salute alongside Sora.

"Master Yen Sid? Just leave it to us!" Donald called.

"Yeah! We've been there loads of times! We'll have things checked out in a jippy!" Goofy added. Yen Sid looked back at the others as they were just leaving. Mickey and Oswald stopped when they felt his eyes staring at them.

"Before you go, I must ask the King and Oswald to remain here. I have something else I wish to discuss with them." he explained. Sora and Riku looked down to Mickey.

"Don't worry guys. You can handle this without us. Go ahead. We'll await your full report once you come back. The Gummi Ship should still be parked outside too." Mickey said. Sora nodded, telling the others they would be back soon. With their short parting, Sora and friends headed back outside and boarded inside the Gummi Ship stationed outside the tower. As Sora was watching his friends board, he noticed Lea still standing alone.

"Hey Lea! Aren't you coming?" Sora asked. Lea looked over and waved his hand.

"Nah. I'll pass. I wanna practice more with the Keyblade and what not. I'll catch ya next time." Lea said. Sora continued to look on before giving a shrug and boarding the ship behind his friends. Kairi watched from the ship's windows as they left Yen Sid's tower behind and flew off into the space between. All seemed very quiet as the ship was drifting through space.

"I haven't seen this in quite a while. I've been on Lhant for so long that I forgot how beautiful things are when you're inbetween the worlds." Sora thought. Asbel, seated alongside Riku, was also staring out at the many stars surrounding them.

"Wow. This is...amazing. So this is what its like outside of Lhant." Asbel thought. Everything remained quiet as the ship eventually reached all the way from Yen Sid's tower to their destination, just outside Traverse Town's atmosphere.

**_: Traverse Town :_**

_~ The Magical City Inbetween Worlds ~_

The ship was docked outside the town gates as Sora and the others made their way into the First District. The sights around them had Sora, Donald and Goofy dreaming of the past.

"Gawrsh. This place sure does bring back memories, huh Sora?" Goofy asked. Sora nodded.

"Yeah. This was where I wound up after my islands were lost. But more importantly, this is where the three of us first met." Sora said. Donald chuckled.

"And now look at us! The perfect Heartless fighting team!" Donald boasted. Sora and Goofy glanced at Donald before quietly chuckling to themselves, catching the duck's attention. Riku took a light glance around.

"Everything seems pretty peaceful around here. Not that I see anyone else but us on the streets of course." Riku said. Kairi agreed, guessing that Yen Sid might've been worried about nothing.

"Impossible. Master Yen Sid is almost never wrong." Donald said. Just then, Asbel could hear the sounds of approaching footsteps from behind.

"Huh? What's this? Some new people came to town? Finally! I was starting to think this part of town was totally dead!" a girl's voice exclaimed. They all turned around and saw a girl with short hair, mostly white with red tips, carrying a large staff on her back standing before them. She was seen wearing yellow overalls over a light blue undershirt.

"P-Pascal?" Asbel gasped. The girl looked at them and suddenly cried out in joy at the sight of Sora and Asbel.

"Asbel! Sora too? All right! I can't believe its you guys again!" Pascal cheered. She rushed over and hugged Sora tightly, surprising the others and caused Kairi's face to turn beat red. Sora looked to Kairi before he quickly fought against Pascal before she let go.

"Pascal? What are you doing all the way out here? I know you told us you had gone away for some important research. But you never tell me you were jumping worlds!" Asbel asked. Pascal chuckled.

"Aww! Don't get your undies in a twist there Asbel. It's like this, see? Fourier and I got so intrigued about the idea of our pal Sora coming from another world, right? And after he let us have a look at that there "Gummi Ship" or whatever he called it, we were able to extract enough knowledge out of it to fashion our own version and check out these "other worlds"." Pascal said. Sora thought back, remembering the day in question that Pascal spoke of.

"Oh yeah. I remember now. But...wait a second. You two actually MADE your own Gummi Ship?" Sora asked. Pascal paused for a moment and lightly hummed before crossing her arms.

"Well, not EXACTLY. We only fashioned a good enough "replica". Its not really made from the same stuff your ship was made of. But...it was good enough to fly anyway." Pascal chuckled. Kairi approached Sora's side, asking who this "bizarre girl" was. Sora lightly glanced at her and smiled.

"Kairi? I'd like you to meet one of my friends who was helping me train for the past year, Pascal." Sora said. Pascal turned to Sora's friends and winked, giving a salute with her left hand while holding her staff over her shoulder.

"Yep! That's my name! Don't you go forgetting it now!" Pascal laughed. Riku soon asked Pascal exactly what she meant by Traverse Town being "dead".

"Huh? Oh. That? It's no big deal. See, ever since I came to town a while back, I set up shop in the other half of town. You know? The ones with all the cool neon lighting and other awesome scenery? THAT'S where everyone who came to this place is living now. This half of town's practically been abandoned by this point." Pascal explained. The others looked over at Sora.

"Riku and I saw it before. When we came here during our Mark of Mastery exam, we saw the new part of town. Trust me. Its all as awesome as Pascal is making it out to be." Sora explained.

"Wow! Really? Can we go there Sora?" Goofy asked. Pascal chuckled.

"With my new system that I've hooked up around town, its a cinch getting from one district to another. C'mon! I'll show ya what I'm talking about." Pascal said. The giddy girl started leading the group through town and up the first flight of stairs, stopping outside the old Accessory Shop. There appeared to be a strange device situated nearby the front door, appearing as some kind of futuristic transporter.

"This is it. Just step onto the platform and state your destination. This little baby will do all the rest." Pascal explained. Sora glanced at Asbel and the others before giving a shrug. He was the first to step onto the platform and looked up at the glowing light seemingly floating above him.

"Uhhh...Fourth District?" Sora asked. Suddenly, everyone watched as a strange light enveloped the machine and covered Sora. When it vanished, so did Sora. The surprise of seeing Sora gone startled everyone.

"Wh-What? Where'd he go?" Riku asked. Pascal chuckled.

"Where else? The Fourth District. My teleporter beamed him all the way there. Sure beats walking, huh?" Pascal chuckled. The others quietly looked at each other, unaware that Asbel was approaching the device next.

"Come on guys. You can trust Pascal. She's a good friend of mine and I know her technology always comes through." Asbel said. Riku merely shrugged as everyone else followed after Asbel, each stepping into the transporter and they were soon whisked away, heading for the Fourth District.

**__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	7. Ch 7: Darkness Descends

**_Kingdom Hearts III: The Hidden Light_**

**_Chapter 7: Darkness Descends_**

After being transported across town thanks to Pascal, we come to the Fourth District of Traverse Town to rejoin Sora and friends. Pascal seemed especially excited as she stepped aside to show the district off to her new friends. Everyone looked on in amazement at the bright lights ahead of them.

"Ta-da! Welcome to the Fourth District of Traverse Town everybody!" Pascal laughed. As Kairi lightly stepped forward, she continued to keep her eyes on the giant balloons floating above the town. Riku and Sora lightly smiled, glad to see the world back from the Realm of Sleep.

"Gawrsh. This must've been what Traverse Town was like when you guys were on your test, right?" Goofy asked. Sora looked to his friend and nodded.

"Yep. This was how it looked in the Realm of Sleep. Heh. I'm really glad its back." Sora said. Kairi suddenly took hold of Sora's arm as he heard her lightly chuckling.

"C'mon Sora! Let's go down and take a look. This place looks really fun." Kairi said. Sora chuckled.

"Okay. Okay. Take it easy Kairi. The town's not going anywhere." Sora laughed. The group strolled on into the lower half of the district, taking in all the beautiful sights and colorful lights around them. The sight of all the excitement had Asbel very intrigued and full of energy.

"And...you said this town's name was what again?" Asbel asked. Sora smirked.

"It's called Traverse Town. Its a world for those who lost their world to come to. Everyone here once had a home, but it was destroyed by the darkness. But it seems like everyone's making the best of their new lives here. I never seen Traverse Town brimming with this much enthusiasm." Sora said. Pascal smirked, saying they had her to thank for the town being a great place to live.

"Huh? You mean you had a part in this Pascal?" Kairi asked.

"Yep! With a little technical know-how and some "kajiggering" around, I made the Fourth District THE place to live and hang out." Pascal chuckled "Of course, I didn't do it all myself. I have a helper helping out." Just then, as they approached one of the central plazas of the district, they noticed someone carrying a lot of various boxes in his hands, covering his face by the sheer stack of them.

"H-Huh? D'oh! Uhh...that you boss? I...I could use some help here!" her helper shouted. Sora and Asbel lightly chuckled as Pascal walked over. She leaned over towards him and peeked through the boxes in his hands. She pushed a few aside before peeking in.

"Aww! What's the matter Petey? Don't tell me you're not as strong as you said when you applied to be my helper." Pascal teased. But suddenly, the name "Pete" chimed a bad ring in Sora, Donald, Goofy and Riku.

"PETE?" they asked. Suddenly, Pascal stepped aside as Pascal's "helper" showed his face through the hole in the boxes.

"Uhhh...yeah? That's my name. Who wants ta..." he said. To everyone's surprise, Pascal's helper was Pete, the same Pete that was helping Maleficent. He gawked in shock at the sight of Sora and friends, throwing the boxes he was carrying into the air before they scattered around.

"D'OH! Not YOU clods!" Pete exclaimed "Wh-What are you smart alecks doing here?" Donald huffed as Sora and Riku drew their Keyblades.

"What are YOU doing here ya big palooka? Up to no good with Maleficent again?" Donald squawked. Pete groaned.

"Look! I don't need you lunk heads hanging around here! Now scram!" Pete exclaimed. Sora's eyes narrowed as he suddenly pointed his Keyblade at Pete's face, slightly startling him.

"Why are you here Pete? Is Maleficent here too?" Sora asked. But suddenly, Pascal intervened by waving her arms.

"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down you guys! This guy's not a bad dude! He's been helping me ever since I came to this town. I found him just wandering around by himself and took him under my wing as my helper. Believe me! He's good!" Pascal called. Sora withdrew his Keyblade as the others stared on in confusion.

"Is she right Pete? Have you really had a change of heart?" Goofy asked. To that, Pete simply huffed.

"After the way you all ganged up on me like I was a wanted criminal? HMPH! I ain't telling you squares nothing!" Pete shouted, turning away with arms crossed. But from behind, Kairi slowly walked over and patted his back, catching Pete's attention. She apologized for everyone jumping on him and asked if he could tell them how he got to Traverse Town. Pete took one long look at Kairi and lowered his guard.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~_**

Deciding to tell his story, Pete sat down with Sora and others in the lower part of the Fourth District.

"Well, it's like this. Since that little "raid" on the castle we pulled while yous was in your dream world, I've been causing nothing but goof after goof for Maleficent. And it seems, well, she finally got fed up with me and told me I had NO place left at her side and fired me." Pete said. Riku didn't seem completely convinced of Pete's story, unlike Sora who was becoming intrigued by it.

"So...you wound up here in Traverse Town because Maleficent abandoned you? But...you two have been doing a lot since we first met, right? How could she just fire you?" Sora asked. Pete sniffled.

"It's like I said, she called me a failure and kicked my big butt out on da curve. Now...I gots nowhere to call home. Not with Maleficent, not my old home...not nowhere." Pete said. Kairi looked on at Pete, feeling a bit sorry for him.

"Yeah. And that's when I stepped in and gave Pete a home...as my unpaid helper." Pascal said. Asbel lightly chuckled.

"I can only imagine that anyone you call "helper" might be somebody you dragged into it. I remember what happened last time you had Hubert helping and you called him the same thing as Pete." Asbel said. Pascal simply stuck her tongue out. Kairi lightly patted Pete's shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear that happened Pete. If you really have nowhere else to go, why not ask the King to forgive you?" Kairi asked. Pete turned to Kairi, eyes seeping with tears.

"Yeah right. Like that mouse would ever let ME back." Pete said. Sora lightly shrugged.

"It's worth a try Pete. If your story IS true, I'm sure King Mickey would be willing to give you a second chance." Sora said. But soon after, Donald pulled Sora back towards him.

"Sora! Are you nuts? This is the same guy who's been helping Maleficent since the last time we saw him!" Donald whispered. Sora broke free of Donald's grip.

"We can't just LEAVE him here. We're not as cold hearted as Maleficent." Sora whispered. Donald sighed, watching as Sora faced Pete again. But just before he could say anything, he quickly saw a gang of Soldier Heartless sprouting up behind them.

"Heartless!" Sora called. Pete suddenly turned back and yelled, starting to flee at the sight of the Heartless. Everyone quickly drew their weapons as Air Soldier Heartless suddenly appeared from behind again.

"Wak! I should've known! Pete set up a trap for us!" Donald squawked. Sora and Riku looked around the gang of Heartless surrounding them.

"Well, after fighting the Dream Eaters in the Realm of Sleep, it kind of feels nostalgic fighting Heartless again, doesn't it?" Sora asked. Riku smirked.

"Why? You feeling like this is deja vu?" Riku asked. Sora chuckled.

"Maybe." he muttered. As the Heartless drew in closer, Sora and friends went on the attack and started slashing down the Heartless with one swing each. Kairi joined in the fray as well, fighting with the aide of Donald and Goofy. Asbel and Pascal joined the fight also until there were signs of more Heartless on the way.

"Yikes! Asbel, what ARE these things? They're popping up like flies!" Pascal cried. From behind, a Shadow Heartless lunged at Pascal but was slashed down by Asbel.

"Pascal! Watch out! Those monsters are after your heart! If you let them get it, you'll become a Heartless too!" Riku shouted. Pascal gasped before jumping away from a diving Air Soldier. She drew her staff and fired a barrage of blasts from the base of her staff like a gun. As the fighting went on, Sora started to look around for signs of Pete. But it appeared that the big guy was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey! Where did Pete go?" Sora asked. Riku lightly glanced around.

"No idea. He must've left the district after the Heartless showed up." Riku said. As soon as Sora struck down a Soldier Heartless, he quickly made a break from the group.

"Huh? Hey Sora! Where are you going?" Asbel cried. Sora stopped and looked back at his friends.

"I'm gonna go after Pete! Something doesn't seem right about this! Riku! Can I trust you to take care of things here?" Sora asked. Riku smirked.

"No problem! Just go after that big lug!" Riku called. Sora nodded and started off through the district, heading back towards the Fountain Plaza. Donald and Goofy were able to break through the Heartless attack and steered Kairi towards Sora, following the two of them.

"Hey Sora! Wait for us!" Goofy called.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~_**

Meanwhile, having left the district and headed for the fountain plaza, we find Pete stopping to catch his breath. He wiped his forehead after looking around for more Heartless.

"Aww man! What's that crazy witch up to now? I mean...sure. We aren't pals anymore. But...why does she think I'm just gonna let her take my heart? Its pretty broken as it is." Pete whimpered. But as he cowered around the fountain, a dark dressed figure was seen approaching from behind. Pete gasped as he heard heels clicking against the ground. He quickly turned around and gasped, seeing Maleficent.

"D-DAH! Maleficent!" Pete gasped. Maleficent's eyes narrowed as an evil grin grew on her face.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" Pete asked. Maleficent chuckled.

"Why Pete, aren't you glad to see me? I come all the way out here to find you...and you treat me as your mortal enemy. How inappropriate. Have you forgotten our time together?" Maleficent asked, stroking the orb on her staff. Pete stuttered and slowly backed away.

"D-Don't think I know what you want from me! Ya...Ya wanna put my heart in th-th-that BRUTE you hired as my replacement!" Pete stuttered, pointing his arm at her. Maleficent chuckled.

"Yes. I know. But, you see Pete, I can't just let someone like you go. Not since you know of my recent motives. Besides, I believe I found a new use for you." Maleficent said. Pete gulped, remembering that's what she said the last time they met. Suddenly, Maleficent struck the ground with her staff.

"Come out Julius!" she called. Pete gasped, looking down at the ground and seeing the manhole cover in front of him beginning to move. It suddenly shot out from the ground like an airborne missile as a giant hulk came leaping out. The giant appeared to have Pete's face, but with various stitches across his face and bolts in his neck. It was Julius, the monster that attacked Sora and Riku in the Realm of Sleep.

"GAH! Not YOU!" Pete exclaimed. The manhole crashed back down as Julius growled, eyeing Pete with a malicious gaze.

**__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	8. Ch 8: Duel With the Giant

**_Kingdom Hearts III: The Hidden Light_**

**_Chapter 8: Duel With the Giant_**

The hulking Julius stared menancingly at Pete, making the once terrible villain freeze in his tracks at the sight of the beast. Maleficent chuckled as she saw Pete's frightened expression.

"What's wrong Pete? I thought you and Julius would've gotten along great. You almost seemed...terrified." Maleficent teased. Pete gulped, watching as Julius suddenly clapped his fists together.

"GAH! Get away!" Pete exclaimed, running away as Julius began gaving chase. Even with as fast Pete could go, Julius made a giant leap against the nearby building and came diving towards him. Reacting as fast as a cat, Pete quickly stumbled out of the way in time before Julius came crashing down. The giant quickly got back up as he began chasing Pete around the plaza. Maleficent watched with a sly cackle on her face until a Keyblade came soaring towards Julius like a boomerang. Unaware of what was approaching, the Keyblade clocked Julius in the head and caused the giant to stumble over. When he got back up, he quickly looked over and saw Sora, Kairi, Donald and Goofy with weapons in hand.

"Pete!" Sora called. Pete spotted Sora and gasped, hiding around a corner nearby. But Julius heard him and glared back at Pete.

"Kid! Help! Get this monstrosity away from me!" Pete exclaimed. Donald and Goofy took one look at Julius and screamed as loudly, and comically, as possible.

"WH-WH-WH-WHAT IS THAT?!" Donald squawked. Julius glared angrily at the others and gave a loud, bellowing roar, scaring Donald and Goofy behind Sora. But one look had Sora feeling deja vu yet again, remembering the giant beast.

"Wait. You?! What are you doing here?!" Sora shouted. Kairi asked nervously if Sora knew the giant monster. Sora lightly nodded.

"Yeah. I know him. He tried to cause trouble for me in the Realm of Sleep. Well, if he wants a rematch, I'll be glad to give it!" Sora shouted. Maleficent huffed.

"Julius! Change of plans! Leave the fat one alone and focus your attention on Sora and his friends!" Maleficent called, pointing towards him. The giant growled and roared, banging his large fists against his chest. Everyone gripped their weapons tightly as Julius charged.

"Look out! Here he comes!" Kairi called. The giant roared and swung its giant hands at them. But they all jumped aside, causing Julius to miss. But the beast quickly pulled back its arm and charged for Sora again.

"Sora! Look out!" Donald squawked. Sora nodded and waited for the perfect moment, watching as Julius was drawing in closer. When the beast tried to attack again, Sora nimbfully dodged and retaliated with a powerful back swing, striking Julius in the face. Momentarily stunned from Sora's powerful blow, Julius stumbled a bit before Sora leaped at him again. He unleashed swing after swing against the giant, soon knocking the brute to the ground.

"What?" Maleficent gasped. Kairi came on the charge next, deciding to test her newfound techniques against Julius.

"This is for attacking Pete you big brute!" Kairi exclaimed. Julius shook his head before angrily glaring at Kairi. Before she could attack, the giant grabbed her with a swing of his arm and had her in the palm of his hand. Donald squawked and rose his staff.

"FIRE!" Donald exclaimed, shooting fireballs at Julius. They impacted against his arm and made him yell, freeing Kairi from his grip. Goofy then flung his shield at Julius, knocking the beast in the face.

"Come on you oversized ignoramus! Crush them!" Maleficent ordered, swinging her staff. Julius quickly got back up and roared, aiming at Sora before he charged. But Sora was ready with Keyblade raised. He braced for the impact, but Julius suddenly lunged up above him. Sora quickly lost sight of him.

"Wh-What? Hey! Where'd he go?" Sora asked. Kairi quickly saw Julius against the giant building behind Sora, seeing a sinister grin on his face. Suddenly, the beast pushed off the building and roared, diving for Sora with arms out wide, attempting to body slam him. The giant shadow above had Sora looking up. But unknown to him, Kairi rushed towards him and tried to shove him away, pulling herself into Sora's trap as well.

"K-Kairi?! Oh no!" Sora thought, spotting her before looking back up at Julius. Donald squawked alongside Goofy.

"SORA!" they cried.

**_~ KINGDOM HEARTS III ~_**

As Sora felt terror overwhelm him, fearing Kairi would be crushed by Julius for trying to save him, all he could hear was his heart beating. He closed his eyes and gripped Kairi tightly in his arms.

_"Kairi...I WILL protect you..."_

Julius watched as he was drawing closer and closer to crushing Sora beneath him. But just before the giant came crashing down, Sora gave off a faint light aura and it caused a giant backblast to throw Julius against the building behind. Maleficent gasped.

"What?!" she exclaimed. The impact seemed to cause Julius to be knocked out, moaning in a daze before stumbling to the ground. The light aura still surrounded Sora and Kairi, laying together on the ground without realizing what happened. When they opened their eyes, they saw Julius passed out next to them.

"What in the...? Whoa! What happened to him?" Sora asked, standing back up alongside Kairi. Donald and Goofy quickly rushed over as Maleficent snarled.

"Curse you boy! I don't know how you did that, but do not think I am finished with you yet!" Maleficent called. The others watched as Maleficent began rising up into the air, taking Julius with her via dark aura.

"Look! Maleficent's getting away!" Goofy called. The evil witch kept a vile stare at Sora.

"Heed my words boy! You have NOT seen the last of me! I will be back! And next time, you won't be so lucky!" Maleficent shouted, vanishing into darkness with Julius. Things began calming down as the group regathered.

"Okay. Does anybody know what the heck just happened?" Sora asked. Donald seemed very surprised.

"What? Sora! Don't you remember what happened?" Donald asked.

"You and Kairi started glowing just before that monster flattened you. And, gawrsh! Your combined power drove him into the wall before passing out! How'd ya do that Sora?" Goofy asked. Sora still seemed confused, looking down at his bare hands.

"Huh? Is...Is this just like what happened when I was with Oswald?" Sora thought. He looked around the area before spotting Pete cowering still by the fountain. He was kneeling down with his hands covering his head.

"Hey! Pete! It's okay! You can come out now! She's gone!" Sora called. Pete slowly peeked out from under his fingers and looked around.

"H-Huh? Where'd Maleficent go?" Pete asked. Donald chuckled.

"We chased her off! That's what happened. You should have seen it!" Donald chuckled. Goofy lightly chuckled, catching the duck's attention. Pete sighed with relief before joining Sora.

"Thanks a bunch kiddo. You really saved my hide back there. Heh. Guess I forgot to mention that Maleficent wants to put my heart in that hulking behemoth." Pete said. When Sora asked why, Pete scratched his head, trying to remember.

"I think its because she don't want me telling anyone what she's been up to as of late. Oh! Lemme tell ya. Its bad news." Pete said. Kairi looked on at the others.

"Come on Sora. I think we should head back to the others. I hope the Heartless are gone." Kairi said. Sora nodded.

"Yeah. Things are all wrapped up here. We'd better check on them." Sora said. Accompanied once again by Pete, Sora and his friends rushed back towards the fourth district. They hurried down towards the middle of town, unable to spot any of their friends until they ventured further and found them down by the other end of the district.

"Hey, there you guys are." Riku said. Sora and the others approached, asking how things went here.

"Everything's okay Sora. We managed to drive off the Heartless. They really seemed endless until, for some reason, they turned tail and ran." Asbel explained. Pascal chuckled.

"Well, isn't it obvious Asbel? They were scared of ME!" Pascal snickered. Riku sighed as Asbel lightly laughed.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one crying for help when those Heartless got close. Admit it Pascal. You were scared." Riku said. Pascal gasped, storming over to Riku and pinching his cheek tightly.

"Excuse me?! Are you forgetting who saved your hide once today? If I didn't step in when you did, that thing was gonna get'cha!" Pascal yelled. The others bursted out in laughter as Riku tried to make Pascal stop. Pete watched from nearby, still a bit shy about being by Sora and the others.

"Man. Them kids really know how to have a good time. Maybe I oughta..." Pete muttered before he was suddenly shoved aside. When he looked up, he saw a young boy with lightly colored hair, dressed in a silver buttoned shirt and black jeans.

"Pardon me. Just passing by." he said. He started off again, walking over towards Sora and the others. No one noticed him until Donald pointed the boy out to Sora. He turned around and spotted him, automatically recognizing him as Joshua, another face he met in the Realm of Sleep.

"Joshua? No way!" Sora exclaimed. Joshua chuckled.

"I was wondering why that spiky head of yours looked so familiar. I thought you might've been Neku." Joshua said. Sora lightly gasped.

"Huh? Neku? Why? Is he here?" Sora asked. Joshua shook his head.

"No. Everyone's gone back home at this point. I'm the only one here." Joshua said. Riku seemed a bit intrigued to see Joshua, but Kairi leaned in close and asked Sora who this was.

"Oh. This is Joshua. I met him when I was here in the dream world." Sora said. Riku then commented that he met Joshua himself as well. But this had everyone else extremely confused.

"H-Huh? Wait. How do...When did you...? D'oh! This is giving me a headache!" Kairi asked, trying to understand this. Joshua chuckled.

"Don't worry. I'll explain...Miss...?" Joshua asked, slowly hinting to Sora for her name. Sora smiled.

"Joshua? This is Kairi, one of my closest friends." Sora said. Joshua smiled and waved.

"Miss...Kairi, is it? A pleasure." he said. After shaking Kairi's hand lightly, Sora asked why Joshua was here in Traverse Town. Joshua quietly stared on as he reached into his pocket.

"Its because of this." he said, handing an envelope to Sora. One look at the front had Sora spotting a strange marking on it. But the name written below said "Neku Sakuraba".

"Huh? From Neku?" Sora asked. He quickly took the envelope and opened it up, seeing it to be a letter from Neku. The others looked over Sora's shoulder as he continued to read.

_Meanwhile..._

Shifting away from Traverse Town, we come to a large bustling city with large crowds of people strolling around town. But distinctly different from everyone else, a boy with spiky orange hair was seen passing through the crowd. His eyes remained cold and distant, almost seemingly zombie-like. His eyes suddenly glowed red.

**__****__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


End file.
